Mental health impacts of voluntary and involuntary unemployment among Australians in later working life with and without disability

Abstract

Purpose: Employment is a key determinant of mental health, with evidence suggesting greater benefits for people with disability relative to people without disability. However, little is known about how retirement impacts mental health for people with disability. This study examined the mental health effects associated with voluntary and involuntary changes in employment status for adults in later working life and explored differences by disability status. Methods: We used 13 waves of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, comprising 9,162 adults aged 45–69 years. Employment status was classified as employed, voluntarily unemployed, or involuntarily unemploye..